Any organization’s performance is largely dependent on management. Healthy bottom lines and effective management frequently go hand in hand. Poor management, on the other hand, frequently indicates the exact opposite.

It takes time and effort to become a great manager. Your ability to manage people, money, decisions, time, and emotions is developed over time. Whether you work in finance, human resources, operations, production, or marketing, it takes time to build these skills. That said, here are some steps to follow to become an effective manager.

1. Improve Communication Skills   

Managers must be able to communicate clearly with their staff. They must be able to explain themselves and deliver messages in a way everyone can comprehend.

Being a great communicator entails more than just being an articulate speaker. It also implies that you are an excellent listener. Communication must be two-way. You must pay attention to others if you want them to pay attention to you. This is especially vital if you will be coaching individuals and teams.

Managers must be effective communicators because they serve as the bridge between upper management and employees. So, managers should work on their communication skills. Thankfully, managers can use online resources to refine their skills. There are several online management courses you can partake in to enhance your communication skills.

2. Identify Employee Strengths

Every good leader understands that each team member has unique strengths and shortcomings. To get the most out of your team, put employees in positions where their talents can flourish.

It may be tough to create intimate relationships with your employees due to the formality of some organizations. Even so, try to understand your team members personally. Feel free to interact with your subordinates. Pose questions. Please encourage them to ask you questions as well.   

3. Delegate Tasks

Knowing how to delegate is one of the traits that makes a good leader. You should avoid wanting to do everything or taking all the credit for yourself. One of the primary reasons why team productivity suffers is the centralization of decision-making power.

Instead of doing everything yourself, learn to delegate specific tasks to your employees. This may add value to the company by allowing you to complete more work in less time. It also indicates that you value your employees and provides an opportunity for growth.

4. Set SMART Goals   

Goals are essential because they provide direction. When your team understands what they are expected to do, it is easier to develop effective processes and strategies to reach those goals. When setting goals, managers must adhere to the SMART criteria described below. 

  • Specific – Goals must be explicit so everyone knows their roles. Some managers make the mistake of setting ambiguous goals. However, unclear goals are a prescription for failure because they may cause confusion and workflow problems.   
  • Measurable – Goals must be measurable to determine whether or not current strategies work. Only by setting metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) to track performance will you be able to evaluate the effectiveness of a strategy. These will assist you in determining where you are and how close you are to reach your objective.   
  • Achievable – Managers must ensure to set goals they can attain given the current level of resources and technology. There’s no point in setting goals that you can’t achieve.   
  • Realistic – Good goals seek to solve real customer problems. In other words, they must be worthwhile. A wise manager knows not to devote resources to projects that provide little value to the customer.   
  • Time-bound – Most projects are time bound. You have to work with timelines to deliver products or deliverables on time.   

Once you’ve established your goals, you must communicate them to your team. Ensure that your team clearly understands your expectations. Transparent communication is critical to effective management.   

5. Prioritize Employee Recognition   

You must ensure that your employees are motivated if you want to get the most out of them. One way of achieving this is by recognizing employee achievements.   

It doesn’t take much to express your gratitude to your employees. Remember to consider the impact that a simple thank you may have on employees.   

Employees will feel valued if they are publicly recognized for their efforts. It will drive them to work harder and inspire them to build positive leadership traits. Employee recognition also contributes to higher retention rates.   

6. Practice Accountability   

If you want to be a great manager, you must be someone who accepts responsibility for your errors. Don’t be the person who always blames others when projects don’t go as planned. Recognize that you may sometimes deserve the criticism you will receive from other managers or senior executives. Instead, make it a rule to admit mistakes when you’re in the wrong.   

Conclusion   

You need to develop your managerial skills to be a successful manager. Realize that being a great manager requires that you be a lifelong learner. There’s no limit to how great a manager you can be. It just depends on how far you want to push yourself. So, harness your communication, organization, time management, and people skills as much as possible.